Life Care Planning Expert Witness’s Considerations of Brain Injury

The Role of a Life Care Planner in Brain Injury Cases 

A life care planning expert witness will consider several specific factors when assessing and planning for a case involving a plaintiff with a traumatic brain injury. The first considerations are often the most important and telling. A life care planner can establish the medical, rehabilitation,  and psychological needs of the evaluee, as well as the affect the injury has on the entire family unit. An experienced life care planner can add great value to a case where a brain injury victim is trying to establish damages by evidencing these additional consequences.

It is really important to have a life care planner assess an individual with a brain injury early on. Progress can be measurable and then compared to subsequent evaluations.  Complications can be taken into consideration, and the necessary the level of care can be assessed.

Family Challenges and Adjustments

Families usually manage an individual’s care needs. They face difficult and ongoing challenges in such circumstances, especially when a relative has a brain injury. This kind of a disability can lead to major changes in family dynamics. If the injured individual was the primary earner or caregiver, other family members will have to adjust their lives to step up to the tasks. Loved ones will also need to get accustomed to the behavioral aspects of brain injury, which can include confusion, agitation, memory and concentration deficits, irritability, decreased safety awareness and judgment, and impulsivity. The family will also have to accommodate any associated physical limitations the injured individual has.

A life care planner’s initial analysis can take into consideration and document all these necessary adjustments. This will help estimate needs for future care.   A subsequent evaluation is also recommended to evaluate progress and assess any new care needs.

Psychological Support and Flexibility

It is natural for families to experience frustration when life expectations are shattered and future plans need to be reevaluated. A life care plan will measure the psychological burdens as well as an individual’s functional capabilities. The plan will making provisions for both individual and family counseling, and will be flexible to accommodate complications and unexpected developments. It can help the family adjust and plan for the future.

Occupational Assessment Services, Inc. (OAS) has extensive experience creating life care plans for injured plaintiffs in a variety of circumstances.  Contact  OAS at 800-292-1919 to discuss how we can help with your life care plan.